


The Academy

by akire_yta



Category: Bandom, Disney RPF, Skippy - Fandom
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Military School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-29 05:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akire_yta/pseuds/akire_yta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“If you find it hard to install a sense of discipline in your child, you’ll find it reassuring to enroll him or her in a military boarding school.”  Mike’s been expelled from every school in the district.  But he still can’t believe his father actually sent him <i>here</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Academy

**Author's Note:**

> warning for some homophobia, including homophobic violence
> 
> A/N: I have many friends who went to various types of military schools which they declare were excellent. This is none of those schools. Think of it as their evil twin.  
> Much gratitude to my awesome beta-reader invisibob for a kick-ass beta. All remaining mistakes are my own.

 

Mike stared balefully at the wall full of plaques and commendations. Photos and paintings of old guys in uniforms sneered back at him.

Mike couldn’t believe his father had actually carried through with his threat. Military school was the kind of thing that happened on teenagers in shitty B-grade movies. He turned his scowl up a notch as his father’s voice preceded the old man through the door. “…for taking him after term has already started,” he was saying.

The Commander, his salt-and-pepper hair shaved into a crew cut, was nodding. “We’ve had an early washout," he sneered. "So a place has become available.” He looked over at Mike like Mike was something he had scraped off his over-polished boots. “That also means your son will be bunking with one of our squad Captains. He’s the fourth generation of his family to pass through the Academy, well on his way to becoming Cadet Captain next year, a good boy. He’ll soon have your boy whipped into shape!”

Mike didn’t like the sound of that. He followed his father out of the hall and into the parking lot. “Dad,” he whined. “Please, come on. I can be home-schooled, or--"

“No,” his father snapped. “You were warned, if you got expelled from one more school, it would be military school. But you did, so here you are.” He thrust Mike’s duffle at him. “Time to learn about consequences, young man.” He squeezed Mike’s shoulder. “Just make it to the end of the year without getting into trouble, and we’ll talk then, okay,” he said more gently. “But if the Commander has to call me, then all bets are off. Understood?”

Mike nodded, watching forlornly as his father drove away.

“Carden!” Mike turned slowly, already hating the Commander’s bearing, his shoes, his everything. “You’re in my Academy now! Time to stow your gear and get cleaned up.”

Mike scowled, dragging his feet as he followed the man back inside.

~//~

The room was tiny, barely enough room for two narrow beds, two tiny desks, two chairs, one chest of drawers and a tiny closet. Mike hadn’t bothered to explore further. He was too busy staring at himself the mirror.

“They cut my fucking hair,” he breathed, feeling dangerously close to tears. He hadn’t cried since the second grade, and he damn well wasn’t giving them the satisfaction of starting again now. Besides, it would be far more satisfying to get even. His revenge would have been _epic_ if his father's warnings weren't still echoing in his ears.

“Carden!” Mike turned slowly to face the Commander, deliberately slouching just to see the old man scowl. “You’ll be bunking with squad Captain Jonas. He’s one of our top students, you’ll do well to follow his example.” The ‘or else’ was loud and clear. His eyes flickered to where Mike had dumped his stuff on his bed. “Jonas, show the new cadet how we do things here.” He glared at Mike some more. “I’ll see you both at morning chow, 0630. Gentlemen.”

Jonas snapped to attention, shoulders back, mouth set. “Sir, yes sir,” he barked like a good little soldier.

Mike rolled his eyes and waved casually. “Later, dude.”

The Commander even managed to slam the door shut with military precision, just like Mike expected. What he wasn’t expecting was for Jonas to clap his hand over his mouth as soon as they were alone. Mike stared at Jonas as the other cadet relaxed, turning to face Mike as his hand dropped back down to his side. He was wearing an impish grin that completely altered his features. “’Later dude,’” he parroted back in a surprisingly good imitation of Mike. “Oh wow, he’s going to find a way to get you on KP and keep you there forever.” He stuck out his hand, still smiling. “Let’s do this like real people now, huh? I’m Kevin, very nice to meet you.”

~//~

It turned out that, under the military academy posterboy facade he pasted on whenever any of the staff were around, Kevin was actually a decent human being. He had also obviously decided to take Mike under his wing, which normally Mike would bristle at except for the fact that even he realized he needed all the help he could get.

“I don’t know why,” Mike griped as they sat on the low brick wall separating the parade grounds from the path to the sports field. “But I guess I though that military school would be a little less insane that real school.”

Kevin laughed as he swung his feet. “Oh, teenagers are the same everywhere, I guess. It’s just that we have guns.” He laughed louder as Mike groaned and slid off the wall. “What’s it like?” he added softly. “A civilian school, I mean.”

Mike craned his head to look up to where Kevin was still perched. “You’ve never been?" he asked incredulously. "At all?”

Kevin shrugged as he dropped down off the wall more gracefully than Mike had. “We – my brothers and I, I mean –" He paused, scrubbing his face as he selected his words with care. "Jonases have always been home-schooled until we’re old enough for this place. We live here, but we go back to our family's place in the summer.” Mike didn’t miss the way Kevin carefully didn’t say ‘home.’ “My father doesn’t set much store by regular schools. He went here, and so did his father, and his father before.” Kevin reeled off the list of ancestors in a sing-song voice, like it was something he had learned by rote. “We grew up knowing we were coming to this place, and what we were expected to do once we got here.” He sighed again, sounding utterly exhausted.

“What about you?” Mike asked.

Kevin looked honestly baffled. “What about me?”

Mike gave him a nudge with his elbow. “What do _you_ want? Do you want to be here, with the all saluting and the boot polishing?”

“And the guns,” Kevin reminded him, rocking against Mike for emphasis.

“The guns are kinda cool,” Mike admitted as he stretched his legs out. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

Kevin drew his knees up to his chest, arms wrapped loosely around his shins. “Can I tell you something,” he whispered. “But you can’t tell anyone.”

Mike mimed crossing his heart. “Who else could I tell,” he added as Kevin hesitated. “You’re the only guy here who talks to me, rather than just yells orders _at_ me.”

Kevin exhaled noisily. “I’m actually a pacifist,” he said in a rush. “I hate the guns. I hate the military. I hate it all.” He scrubbed his hand over his buzzcut. “They made me cut my hair,” he whispered plaintively. “I loved my hair. I had the most rocking curls.”

Mike laughed incredulously. “Seriously?” Kevin shot him a wounded look, which just set Mike off laughing again, and slowly Kevin started to smile. “Then why the fuck are you still here?” Mike asked him. Kevin froze.

In the distance there was the noise of a whistle, calling in their squad. “Where else can I go?” Kevin replied, sounding utterly resigned as he climbed to his feet and held out his hand to help Mike up. “This is all I know how to be.”

~//~

Mike wasn’t sure what the other cadets had heard, but they avoided him like the plague. Only Kevin would talk to him, and even then, out in the corridors when others were around, he was painfully aware that Kevin was acting like a squad Captain rather than himself.

Kevin had pointed out the plaque in the main hall, just outside the mess; the list of past squad Captains full of Jonases. “My dad, both my uncles, their dad and uncles…” he trailed off with a shrug. “They told me I had to be one, so here I am.” He tapped the shiny brass pin on his uniform jacket with a rueful little smirk that vanished at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Mike was glad that it was Kevin’s room-mate who had washed out, though. He wouldn’t have had a chance in hell navigating the labyrinth of rules and regulations and codes and traditions that made up life at the Academy without a guide.

Meals were the worst. They had to eat in silence at dinner, sometimes, as some old fart stood at the lectern and talked at them as they slowly chewed the cardboard-tasting food. At least Mike had plenty of practice in tuning people out, and it meant that nobody had to go out of their way to ignore him. Though it sucked that it was impossible to get the salt passed down, until Kevin took pity on him and showed him the hand signal.  
 _  
“You mean it’s not,” Mike had whispered as he flipped Kevin off below the line of the table. Kevin had choked on a laugh and slapped Mike’s hand down as the Commander had glared at them without missing a beat on the announcements he was reading._

In classes, he slumped in his chair until yelled at by the staff, who then yelled at him some more over the quality of his homework. He and Kevin didn’t have a lot of academic classes together, but at least they were in the same squad, which meant that Mike had someone watching his back in drill and endless exercising.

“Come on!” someone was yelling as Mike stumbled to a stop beside Kevin after running way too many laps for a Saturday. “Beat your face!”

Mike panted as he dropped to his knees. “Is it really so hard to say ‘push-ups?’" He gasped. "Too many syllables in one go maybe?”

Kevin had laughed, and everyone stared at him in surprise as they were both given an extra twenty.

~//~

Mike swung around the corner and slowed. He had agreed to meet Kevin outside the library, ostensibly to study, but Mike knew it’d be easy enough to get Kevin talking about music once they were tucked away in the little study carrel. But Kevin wasn’t alone: two slim, dark-haired boys were there, and everything about how they were standing told Mike they were locked in a furious whispered argument.

He leaned further into the shadow cast by the statue of some guy famous for getting other people killed, and strained his ears to listen. The argument was being conducted in whispers, but Mike heard his own name. Kevin’s expression turned stormy as he hissed something back.

“Carden!”

Mike leapt a foot off the ground in surprise, whirling to face the scowl of the Commander. “Yes…yes, sir?” he corrected himself.

The Commander leaned in, deliberately invading Mike’s space. “Hair is getting a little long there, cadet. If it’s not regulation the next time I see you, you’re on report.”

Mike nodded, choking down the witty comeback that threatened to burst out. “Yes, sir,” he ground out through gritted teeth.

The Commander smirked in triumph and marched off. “You know,” Kevin said softly, appearing at Mike’s side. “If you want him off your back, you really need to become a better liar.”

Mike glanced back, but the other two boys were gone. “Lie? Is that what you do?”

Kevin shrugged, his little smile never reaching his eyes. “It gets me through the day. Come on, I don't really feel like studying. Let’s get out of here.”

~//~

“So,” Mike asked as they pushed through the double doors and headed up the corridor towards their room. “Wanna tell me what all that was about?”

Kevin sighed and unlocked their door. “Those were my brothers,” he sighed as he flung his books onto his desk with less care than normal. Mike carefully closed the door behind them as Kevin flopped backwards onto the bed. “Apparently, our father is coming up next week or something.”

Mike wondered how that had led to them talking about him, but carefully didn’t mention what he’d overheard. “I never see your brothers around, aren’t they in our squad?”

Kevin nodded. “Dad’s idea. Different squads, so when we each make Captain, it can’t be put down to nepotism or anything.” He flung his arm over his eyes as his voice changed, parodying a man Mike had never met but whom he already wanted to throttle. “Stand on your own two feet, boys, or not at all.” He sighed again, and for a long moment there was only awkward silence. “Joe and Nick wanted to warn me, dad won’t be very happy that we’re friends.”

Mike laughed. “I get that from parents a lot.” He sat on the edge of his bunk and stretched out his leg to nudge Kevin with his foot. “It’s okay if you want to pretend, just while he’s here. Deny all knowledge, don’t ask, don’t tell, keeping secrets, that’s what this place is all about, really, isn’t it?” He stopped laughing. Kevin was motionless, watchful, wary. “What is it?”

Kevin shook his head, rolling over so his back was to Mike. “Nothing,” he mumbled, radiating a sense of ‘go away’ that was almost tangible.

Mike moved over to sit on the edge of Kevin’s bunk. He put his hand on Kevin’s shoulders and gave him a little shake. “Hey, come on, you can tell me, what is it?”

Kevin mumbled something into his pillow.

Mike pushed Kevin’s shoulder. “What?”

Kevin took a deep breath. “Don’t ask, don’t tell, Mike.” His voice cracked. “Those are the rules, they apply here too. You can’t ask, and I can’t tell.”

“Oh,” Mike breathed as the implications hit him. “Oh, shit man. You mean you’ve been hiding….”

Kevin nodded, just the tiniest movement of his head as he curled into himself on top of the covers. “If anyone else here knew, they’d eat me alive,” he muttered. “You can’t tell anyone, promise me.”

Mike nodded. “I promise. And,” he added, taking a deep breath. “Now I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anyone.” Kevin shifted slightly, until he was at least facing Mike. “My last school, my last chance before this place. I knew I couldn’t get expelled, no fights, no cutting class, I even stopped smoking.” He took a deep breath, worrying the fabric of Kevin’s blanket between his fingers. “And there was this guy, Tom, his name was Tom. And we were kinda close, and one day, I’m not sure who started it, really, but we were kissing. And…and I liked it. But Tom freaked out. He told all his friends I was a fucking fag who forced the kiss on him, and they jumped me and tried to beat the crap out of me, and…” he waved his arms to encompass the Academy. “You can guess the rest. So believe me when I say I get why you have to lie. Your secret is safe.” He stood up and reached for his books. It was obvious Kevin needed some space. “I need to go look up some shit for McMassey’s homework, I’ll be back before dinner.”

“Mike?” Kevin asked.

Mike stilled, one hand on the doorknob. “Yeah?”

“What you…with Tom? Did you…I mean…?” He stuttered to a halt, cheeks flaming.

Mike grinned wryly. “What happened after wasn’t fun. But…I don’t regret it.” He shrugged, his smile falling away. “Maybe I’m not a good a liar as you Kevin. But I just can’t lie to myself about who I am.” He opened the door and left Kevin to his thoughts.

~//~

Kevin sucked in a quick breath as they were marched into the mess hall for dinner, and Mike followed his gaze. “That him?” he whispered.

Kevin just nodded, face pale.

Mike didn’t know what he was expecting – someone more like the Commander, maybe? But Kevin’s father was a nondescript man, maybe even a little mousy. It was only when he moved that Mike saw it, the military strut, the erect bearing like someone had shoved a broomstick up his ass.

He trailed the Commander up to the lectern at the front of the hall as the boys shuffled into the room. “Be seated,” the Commander said, waiting just long enough for the sound of the chairs being scraped back to die down before he continued. “We have one of our alumni here to address you,” he began.

Mike tuned him out, focused more on Kevin. Kevin was sitting rigid in his seat, eyes fixed on the table top. Mike could tell that Kevin’s hands were clenched into fists in his lap.

From the lectern, Kevin’s father was speaking about loyalty and duty, about rules and honour. From where Mike was sitting, it was hard to reconcile what he was hearing with the abject fear that Kevin was struggling to contain. Mike had never been, could never imagine, being that scared of his dad. Got angry with, fought with, sure, but Mike had never been petrified of him the way that Kevin was of his fatger.

Then again, the world being described to them from the podium was one without room for deviations of any kind, with clear good guys and bad guys and no overlap in-between, one where everything was black and white and straightforward and easy. And Mike knew, probably better than anyone here, that under the surface, Kevin was anything but simple.

Mike was startled out of his reverie by the polite applause. Kevin didn’t relax as the noise in the room rose, the student body finally settling into their usual meal-time conversations. “You okay?” Mike asked under the noise of the cutlery.

Kevin bit his lip, flashing Mike a lightning-fast look. “No,” he admitted so quietly Mike had to read his lips to make out the words. But Mike didn’t dare press for more, not with their squad around them. Instead, they sat in silence, Kevin pushing his meal around his plate until one of the underclassmen came over as they were rising to leave.

“The Commander would like to see you in his study,” he chirped. Kevin shot Mike a look like a man on the way to the gallows, turned, and left without a word.

~//~

Kevin barely made it back to their room before lights out. Mike waited until he heard Kevin’s blanket stop rustling as he settled before he spoke. “Hey, you okay?” Kevin sniffed, and Mike sat up. The cold air hit his skin as the blanket fell away. “Kevin?”

“Fine,” Kevin mumbled thickly.

Mike was moving before he’d even realized he’d made a decision, slipping out of bed and onto his knees, shuffling across the tiny space to kneel by the edge of Kevin’s bed. By the faint light seeping under the transom of the door, he could just make out the huddled lump under the blankets. This close, he could hear the laboured breath as Kevin tried to get himself back under control.

He reached out slowly, not sure if his presence would be welcomed. “Hey, Kev, come on-“ His hand touched Kevin’s shoulder, and it was like a floodgate opened.

Kevin cried hard, but silently. “I wish I could just hate him,” he gasped out as he curled into Mike’s touch. “I wish I was a better son…”

“Hey,” Mike cut him off. “That’s bullshit, and you know it,” he added fiercely. “You’re awesome and he’s a fucking moron, okay? If he can’t take you as you are, then that’s his problem.” He leaned in, wrapping Kevin in a one-armed hug, squeezing tight despite the awkward angle.

Kevin froze for a second, then relaxed into the contact, trembling slightly as he reached out, like Mike’s touch was his first contact in a very long time. Mike let him take his fill, kneeling there until he couldn’t feel his feet any more. “Better,” he whispered.

“Thanks,” Kevin breathed back, letting go and laying down once more.

Mike nodded into the darkness and crawled back into his own bed. He lay awake for a long time, conscious of the sound of Kevin’s breathing.

~//~

He didn’t ask what Kevin and his father spoke about, but a few cryptic comments made it clear that Kevin’s friendship with Mike was definitely one of the topics of conversation.

But if anything, Kevin seemed more defiant after the visit, talking and laughing more openly with Mike, more and more frequently dropping the mask of squad Captain, even when others could see.

Mike also saw the glare of the Commander, felt the eyes of what seemed like the entire school on them, and waited for the other shoe to drop.

“Hey Carden!” Two of the guys from the squad fell into step on either side of Mike as he struggled to finish his final lap for PE. He glared at them, too out of breath for a witty retort. “I had liberty last weekend, my sister got married,” one of them said, smirking, barely breathing hard, the fucker. “And one of the guys at the wedding, on the grooms’ side, he knew you when you used to go to Barrington.” The smirk grew sharper, and the stutter in Mike’s chest had nothing to do with physical exertion this time. “You know,” he said loudly to his friend, keeping pace on Mike’s other side. “I never would have picked him for a fucking fag.” As one, the two boys shoved Mike, hard, and sprinted off down the track, whooping and laughing.

Mike thudded to a halt, staring after them until the instructor blew his whistle and shouted at Mike to get moving.

From the showers and locker room all the way to his next class, it seemed that everyone was staring. Whispers followed like eddies in the air, everywhere he went. If he made it to lunch without killing anyone, it would be a miracle.

At least at lunch he could talk to Kevin, if he hadn’t heard the rumours already. Two seconds after entering the mess, he could tell Kevin had heard most of it already. His face was stormy, and he had two underclassmen pulled over to one side of the room, giving them a furiously subdued talking-to.

It took Mike a second to figure out what was wrong with the picture. The plebes usually stared in awe at Kevin, all trying to be perfect little proto-soldiers. But these two were grinning and rolling their eyes. Neither was standing at attention, and they laughed and sauntered off as Kevin gave up and dismissed them. Kevin rubbed his face tiredly, spotting Mike as he dropped his hands. He walked over, his face a mask. “I’m not really hungry,” he said quietly. “Want to take a walk?”

Mike glanced over Kevin’s shoulder. “It might not be good for you to be seen with the fag,” he said with more bitterness than he had intended.

Kevin’s eyes were hard. “Screw them,” he spat back, low and venomous. As they walked together past the rows of tables to the door, the little knots of students sitting there fell silent, only to burst into conversation behind them.

Mike had never seen Kevin this angry before. “It’s okay,” he said at last, breaking the furious silence that had settled over them since they had left the mess behind. “It’s bullshit, but I’ve got three months until the end of the year, and I can probably talk my dad into letting me go do the GED or something…”

“Lockwood told the Commander,” Kevin cut in in a rush. “And then he told my father. They were talking about you, how I shouldn’t be your friend, and the Commander told my father what he had heard, and one of the underclassmen who was acting as his aide was listening and told his friends what the Commander had said, and that’s how it got out.” Kevin was pale, tight-lipped. “I’m sorry.”

Mike swallowed. “Not your fault,” he said as lightly as he could. “The Commander’s an asshole, but we knew this already. Not your fault,” he repeated. But there was something else in Kevin’s eyes, mixed in with the misplaced guilt. “What?”

Kevin was wringing his hands, fingers twisting and twining together. “My father had some…interesting things to say, when the Commander told him.” Mike scoffed quietly, and Kevin shook his head. “He said, and I quote, that I should request a new bunk mate assignment because you might try to recruit me to the ‘homosexual lifestyle.’” He even used his fingers to plant the quotes around the words.

Mike couldn’t help it. He laughed at the pure absurdity, and after a second, Kevin broke out laughing too. “He seriously said that,” Mike gasped. “To you?”

“I know!” Kevin nodded, one hand clapped over his mouth like he could physically hold his laughter in.

Whatever he was about to say next was cut off as someone barreled into Mike from behind. Mike when flying, skidding across the concrete path hard enough to shred skin. Behind him, he heard Kevin yell, the smack of skin on skin. Then it was a blur of fists and yells. Mike was aware of hands grabbing him and shook them off to face his attackers as a ring of boys grew around him. Hands bunched into fists, he sensed someone moving to rush him from the left, and he skittered clear, watching with a feral smile as the boy flailed and toppled to the ground in front of him, clutching his knee where Kevin had kicked him. Mike kicked him again before moving forward even as Kevin skittered around the fallen attacker to cover Mike’s rear. The circle closed in.

“Stop!” someone was yelling, but Mike had been in the middle of enough of these to know it only ended when you took the ringleader down or you went down yourself. Those were his options, and Mike was never a fan of taking a beating. He found his target and lashed out hard and fast. The Academy boys may have been taught to fight, but Mike had fury and experience of the chaos of the mêlée on his side. He’d never had an ally in this kind of fight before, but he and Kevin moved together, Kevin active in his defense of Mike’s exposed sides even as Mike pushed his attack, hard and terrifyingly violent as all the damped-down frustrations of the past months came pouring out.

For all his bluster and training, the kid who'd rushed him hit the dirt hard enough to bounce. The shriek of whistles announced the arrival of the staff, but Mike had the satisfaction of seeing the kid sprawled in the dirt, face a mess of blood, before he was grabbed by the scruff of his collar and pulled away.

~//~

They were out-of-place, the pair of them, standing on the Oriental rug in front of the intimidating polished wooden desk. Mike’s lip had split, and the blood was cracking as it dried on his chin. His pants were torn, knees shredded where he had fallen on concrete. The palms of both hands were grazed through the skin, but not all of the blood on his shirt was his own.

Kevin didn’t look much better – his left eye was already darkening into an impressive shiner, his shirt was stretched and torn, and his knuckles were raw. He kept working his jaw like he was probing a tooth with his tongue.

Mike caught his eye and winked. Kevin grinned back and gently knocked the side of his fist against Mike’s.

Kevin snapped to painful attention as the doors behind them opened. Mike stayed as he was, in his habitual slouch, and grinned at the Commander as he came around and sat back in his seat to stare at the pair before him. “At ease, Jonas,” he said at last. “Your compatriot, of course, already is, so you may as well join him.”

He studied them for a long minute, hands steepled under his chin in a way he probably thought made him look contemplative. “Mr. Carden, I have to say, I was expecting an outburst like this sooner or later. You have no sense of discipline or control, and it is unfortunate we could not beat one into you. However, I am most disappointed you saw fit to drag Jonas here down with you.” He shrugged, and leaned forward to shuffle some papers on his desk. “I have already called your father, and he will be here to collect you before evening mess, so you’d best go pack your things to be ready for him.”

Mike bit back a gasp. “I’m expelled?”

The Commander nodded, a sadistic smile creeping across his face. “You put three of my cadets in the infirmary. You’re a poor excuse for a student, you lack any form of moral character, and what is worse is that you are a bad influence. I am cutting out the rot before it sets in any further.”

Mike didn't bother to hide his scowl. He was already expelled, what more could they do to him?

“Speaking of which," he said, dismissing Mike from his world view as he turned towards Kevin. "You have had an exemplary record with us up until now, Mr. Jonas.” This close, Mike could almost feel Kevin involuntarily stiffen as years of training tried to take him automatically to attention. “Therefore, consider this your first and last warning. One week MOTO, and one month on extra duties, and if there is so much as an whisper of any further outbursts like today, I will call your father to discuss suspension and further punishment. Do you understand me?”

Kevin’s voice shook slightly. “Sir, yes, sir.”

“Dismissed!” he snarled.

Kevin shushed Mike when he tried to speak in the corridor, all but hauling him along until they were back in their room. “Fuck,” Mike moaned as he slumped down on his bed. “My dad is going to be so pissed. What’s MOTO?”

Kevin was stripping out of his ruined shirt. “Motivational Platoon,” he said lifelessly.

“Which means?” Mike asked, tugging at his hated tie.

Kevin sighed, slumping as he stared at the fresh shirt in his hands. “Basically boot camp after school. Four or five hours a night of running and the obstacle course and some other stuff. You make it or it breaks you.”

“Shit,” Mike breathed. “That’s fucked up.”

Kevin shrugged mutely.

“You can always leave, you know.” Kevin looked up sharply and Mike leaned forward. “There must be some civilian school left I could get into, or we could do the GED and get the fuck out of the whole fucking system.”

But Kevin was already shaking his head. “My father…” he whispered.

“Right,” Mike said scornfully. “Because his is the last word on who you get to be.”

Kevin straightened up, looping his tie over his neck and pulling it straight with enough force to garrote himself. “Yeah,” he said with bitter sarcasm. “Well, excuse me if I choose not to take advice from a guy who’d stay quiet and take the blame and get expelled rather than stand up and declare himself.”

“Hey,” Mike protested. “I didn’t ask you to fight.”

Kevin made a scornful noise at the back of his throat. “Like I was going to stand by and watch my…watch them kill you. Which they probably would have, by the way, or made a good effort to.” He scrubbed his fingers through his close-cropped hair. “Come on Mike,” he added more gently after a moment’s tense silence. “Let’s face it, we’re both liars, and neither of us is really going to face up to what we are anytime soon.”

Mike had to squash an impulse to reach out; Kevin looked so tired, worn out by life already. “You’re really going to just stay and follow orders and bury yourself under all their expectations?”

Kevin shrugged, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed, mirroring Mike’s stance, their knees almost touching across the tiny space. “What else could I do?” he whispered. “I’m everything this place teaches you not to be, but my only way out is to graduate. If I wash out, I pretty much won’t be welcomed back to my parent’s house, and if I wash out for being a gay freak, then…” Kevin winced, hands knotting together. “Well, let’s just say MOTO will be the least of my worries if they ever find out.”

Mike felt like a coward. His parents might be disappointed that he’d lied, or shocked, or maybe even a little angry, but he couldn’t imagine them throwing him out for being gay. He leaned over without thinking and twined his fingers into Kevin’s, holding his hand tight. “I’m sorry,” Mike said, struggling with the words. “I’m sorry your life is like this, and I’m leaving you here alone, and I don’t know how to help you. I’m so sorry.”

Kevin closed his eyes, his other hand coming over to lay atop Mike’s where their fingers were still intertwined. “I have one more secret I need to tell you, because you’re the only one I can tell, and you’ll be gone soon, and I have to tell you, I just-“

“Kevin,” Mike cut him off, moving in closer. “Tell me.”

Kevin opened his eyes, leaning forward to close the distance between them, and placed a chaste, closed-mouth kiss on Mike’s lips. He pulled back only slightly, still close enough that Mike could feel the movement of air as Kevin breathed. “Is this okay?”

Mike could hear a lot of questions packed into those three words. He smiled and tilted his chin to nip lightly at Kevin’s bottom lip. They were still just holding hands, knees and lips barely brushing together, yet to Mike it felt like it was the most intimate thing he had ever done. “More than okay,” Mike breathed back. He brushed his nose lightly against Kevin’s, smiling at his startled little giggle. “How long for you?”

Kevin ducked his head, blushing slightly. “Since about two seconds after I met you,” he admitted. “But you were the best friend I ever had, and I didn’t want to ruin it.” He tightened his grip on Mike’s hand. “But you’re going now, so I figured I had nothing much left to lose.”

Mike slid off the bed, driven to movement by the echoing sense of _loss_ in Kevin’s voice, and dropped to his knees, pushing his way between Kevin’s legs to press up against his chest, his arms wrapping around Kevin and holding him tightly. Kevin clinged to him, fingers digging into the flesh of Mike’s shoulder hard enough to bruise.

“Come with me,” Mike said, burying his face into the crook of Kevin’s neck. “You can’t stay here, we can figure something out.”

Kevin winced and disentangled himself from Mike’s embrace. His face was pale and taut. “Please, don’t,” he said, shaking his head as he slithered away, moving to stand by his desk. “This is hard enough as it is.”

Mike braced himself against the edge of Kevin’s bed, head hung low in defeat. He nodded. “If that’s really what you want.” He forced himself to stand. “I guess I better pack, and you’ve got class.”

Kevin shook his head. “It’s nearly half over already, I’d like to stay – if you want me here, that is.”

Mike felt like Kevin was already moving further away, though he hadn’t shifted from his position by the desk. “I want you,” he said simply, knowing Kevin had understood when he blushed and turned away.

It didn’t take long to pack. Mike zipped up his duffle and swung it over his shoulder, looking back from the doorway. It was like he had never even been there.

Kevin was standing with his arms around his chest, eyes downcast. “So, I guess this is goodbye?”

Mike dropped his duffle and hauled Kevin over into a bear hug. He pressed a kiss to the corner of Kevin’s mouth. “You need anything, you call me, okay? Promise.”

Kevin nodded, not meeting Mike’s eyes. Mike let him go, picked up his bag, and walked out of the Academy.

His father was coming out of the Commander’s office looking tired and disappointed as Mike entered the main hall. “Come on,” he said, not unkindly.

Mike trailed him out to the parking lot. He threw his bag in the back and swung himself into the front seat. His father buckled up and paused, one hand on the ignition. “What is going on with you, Mike? Another fight? Why?”

Mike stared out the windscreen, at the imposing façade of the Academy. “I’m gay,” he said simply, not looking over. “And some people just can’t handle that.”

His father gasped softly and reached over the handbrake to pull Mike into an awkward, heartfelt hug. It felt like a weight he hadn’t even known he had been carrying had been lifted. “Let’s go home,” his father said thickly, breaking the silence. “I think we all have a lot to talk about.”

He pulled out of the parking lot, and drove slowly down the drive. For a second, Mike thought he caught a glimpse of Kevin through a class-room window, but then they were past and driving out of the Academy.

~//~

The rules of his home schooling were strict, but after the Academy, it was heaven. Mike stayed in his pajamas until noon, and even if he wasn’t allowed out, or to have anyone over until his mom got home from work, he could still just watch cartoons and eat fruit loops while sitting on the couch with a book and call it studying.

He tried not to think about his old schedule, about what Kevin was doing or whether he was too tired from MOTO to do anything more but get on with the life chosen for him. He tried not to wonder if Kevin was missing him too.

Mike sighed, snatched up the remote and flicked off the TV. He used to find Looney Tunes a lot more fun than this.

The phone rang, jolting him off the couch. He glanced at the clock on the microwave as he lifted the receiver – 10.50am, too early for anyone he knew to be calling. “Hello?”

There was an intake of air down the line. “Mike?” A voice asked.

Mike leaned against the benchtop for support. “Kevin?” he breathed. “What’s up?”

He heard Kevin fumble the receiver. “I…I left,” he stuttered, and for a second Mike couldn’t process what that actually meant.

“What? What happened?”

There was a tinny sigh. “A lot,” Kevin confessed. “Listen, I’m almost out of time on the payphone, and I don’t have much change, but can I come out to your place?”

“Sure,” Mike said immediately.

There was a hysterical little laugh. “Umm, I don’t suppose you know which bus to take? I think I can get downtown from here, but…”

“Where are you?” Mike demanded, reaching out for the little notepad and pen his mom made shopping lists with.

“Umm?” Kevin hummed as the payphone beeped for more money. “That gas station, about two miles up from the Academy? The guy inside says the bus from Mayfield comes by on the hour, and it’ll stop if I wave it down, so I can get to the city terminal.”

Mike glanced at the clock at again. “Okay, get on that. I’ll meet you in the city.”

“Ok-“ Kevin’s voice cut off as the payphone disconnected.

Mike wrote down what Kevin had told him, then wrote another note for his mom. They’d forgiven him a lot over the years, he’d just have to hope they’d forgive him for this too.

He put the note on the table, pulled on his jeans, found his jacket, and went to go beg a ride into town off William.

~//~  
Mike was grateful he knew William. Bill didn't ask questions, he just looked at Mike, nodded, and went to fetch the car keys. The cheap stereo in William's crappy car crackled, but William turned it up anyway, singing along as he navigated the turns onto the freeway into the city. Mike leaned against the door and watched suburbia give way to the outskirts of the city outside the window. Now that he had time to think, his mind was a whir of questions. Had someone found out about Kevin and set out to finish what they had started with Mike? His fingers dug into his denim-clad legs, and he forced himself to take a deep breath and relax.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he couldn't come up with a more likely explanation. Kevin had been indoctrinated into the Academy pretty much since birth, from what he had said. Despite all the lies he had to tell himself to stay, Mike couldn't imagine Kevin leaving without something pushing him out. The question was what.

"Bus terminal, right?" William cut into his thoughts.

Mike startled, blinked, nodded. "Yeah. He's coming in on the Mayfield bus, hopefully."  
William shot him a sideways look as they pulled up at an intersection. "Who is 'he'?" he asked slyly.

Mike sighed and looked out the window. That was a good question had Kevin only called Mike because he knew his secrets, and wouldn't turn him away? Or was it something more? Mike took a deep breath, remembering that chaste, simple kiss in the barracks, their last stolen moment. Whatever his reasons, Kevin had helped him navigate the Academy. Mike would return the favour in civilian life, and let Kevin decide for himself for once what he wanted to do. Who he wanted to be with. "He's a friend," he settled on, wary of William's knowing smile.

"Good friend?" William asked neutrally, accellerating smoothly as the lights turned green.

Mike smiled out into the city. "The best."

~//~

Kevin looked different in civilian clothes. He also looked too thin, the bruise under his eye not quite faded yet, and the combined effect gave him the air of someone recovering from a long illness. But he smiled in relief when he saw Mike striding out towards him over the concourse, and hugged back fiercely when Mike wrapped his arms around him. “Thank you,” Kevin said softly. “For coming for me.”

“Anytime,” Mike promised, holding him closer. “Anytime.”


End file.
